10 December, 2012

St. Catharines City Councillor Mat Siscoe is bringing a motion on Monday, December 10, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, in an attempt to compel the Lincoln County Humane Society to adopt an open membership policy for residents and taxpayers who wish to be a part of the organization they are funding. Dr. Brad Davis will address council on the desirability of this motion. Let us pack council chambers that evening to support Councillor Siscoe and Dr. Davis.

Background: The Lincoln County Humane Society has the most restrictive membership application process of all the humane societies in Ontario. More than 75 people have applied for membership since late September 2012, and the LCHS directors have thus far refused to consider any of these applications, despite having the opportunity to do so during two subsequent board meetings.

In fact, membership chair Ed Klassen proposed a motion, seconded by board member Christine Probst, to “defer” all applications until July 2013 and refund all application fees–a motion tantamount to a denial of the applications. The board clearly wants to deny the new applicants a voice in how the LCHS operates. If you are a taxpayer, you are supporting a $500,000 annual contract with the LCHS to provide animal control and humane services. If you believe that you should have a voice in how the LCHS is run, please apply for membership, and attend the city council meeting on December 10 to show council that you want the LCHS to become a democratic organization.

please come out and show your support if you can, for a no kill st catharines